I am a wanderer. I would say that I am a seeker, but sometimes I have no idea what I might be seeking, so I will stick with wanderer. This blog is more a public journal than anything. I don't claim to have life figured out. I simply stumble from mystery to mystery, and share my reflections along the way. Sometimes I feel burdened, and trudge. Sometimes? Well sometimes grace breaks through, and its time to dance.

Welcome

Primitive religion is not believed, it is danced!

Arthur Darby Nock

Earth's crammed with heaven,And every common bush afire with God;And only he who sees takes off his shoes;The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Browning

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help
the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are,
or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the
needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it.”

Stephen
Colbert

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There are lots of commandments in the Bible

Lots of instructions

Do this

Don’t do that

Don’t eat shellfish -
Leviticus 11:9-12

Don’t get tattoos - Leviticus 19:28,

Kill all the heathen in the land – Deuteronomy 7 and 20

Smash the rebellious child’s head with a rock - (Deut.
21:18-21).

Keep the Sabbath -
Exodus 20

Die in order to live
- Matthew 16:24–25

There are deadly offenses.

Like being a psychic
- “A man or woman who is a medium
or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood
will be on their own heads.” (Leviticus 20:27)

Getting raped while engaged. “If a damsel that is a virgin
be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall
stone them with stones that they die.” (Deuteronomy 22:25) It’s cool though,
because if you’re not engaged when you get raped, you just have to marry your
rapist (Deuteronomy 22:28).

Getting raped and not screaming loud enough. “If a damsel
that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city,
and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city,
and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she
cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his
neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy
22:23-24) Get it

Striking a father of mother is worthy of death

And lets not forget the seven deadly sins

Envy = the desire
to have an item or experience that someone else possesses

Monday, May 29, 2017

“The highly sensitive [introverted] tend to be philosophical
or spiritual in their orientation, rather than materialistic or hedonistic.
They dislike small talk. They often describe themselves as creative or
intuitive. They dream vividly, and can often recall their dreams the next day.
They love music, nature, art, physical beauty. They feel exceptionally strong
emotions--sometimes acute bouts of joy, but also sorrow, melancholy, and fear.
Highly sensitive people also process information about their environments--both
physical and emotional--unusually deeply. They tend to notice subtleties that
others miss--another person's shift in mood, say, or a lightbulb burning a
touch too brightly.”

― Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That
Can't Stop Talking

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Outwardly I go through my day

Calm

Cool

Collected

I go from task to task and get things done

Usually a lot of things done

But inside it is a different story

While my outer life is a documentary on the mating rituals
of the fruit fly

Sunday, May 28, 2017

“Like a lot of people with mental illness, I spend a lot of
time fronting. It’s really important to me to not appear crazy, to fit in, to
seem normal, to do the things “normal people” do, to blend in.

As a defense mechanism, fronting makes a lot of sense, and
you hone that mechanism after years of being crazy. Fronting is what allows you
to hold down a job and maintain relationships with people, it’s the thing that
sometimes keeps you from falling apart. It’s the thing that allows you to have
a burst of tears in the shower or behind the front seat of your car and then
coolly collect yourself and stroll into a social engagement…

We are rewarded for hiding ourselves. We become the poster
children for “productive” mentally ill people, because we are so organized and
together. The fact that we can function, at great cost to ourselves, is used to
beat up the people who cannot function.

Because unlike the people who cannot front, or who fronted
too hard and fell off the cliff, we are able to “keep it together,” whatever it
takes.”

Saturday, May 27, 2017

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have
known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their
way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and
an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a
deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

Further Reading

Creative Use of Diversity by Stephen Kliewer. A look at diversity in the church. Thoughts about the kinds of diversity in local congregations and its impact. Also thoughts about how to deal with diversity to maximize the positives and minimize the negatives . Published by the Alban Institute 1985

Healthcare and Spirituality by Stephen Kliewer and John Saultz. A look at spirituality and its place in the healing process. Originally designed as a primer for healthcare providers, it has also proved useful to pastors and laypeople. Published by Radcliffe Medical Press 2006.

Both can be found on Amazon.com

Another version of this blog, with photography from the author can be found on FaceBook

Look for "Dancing Faith"

Another great blog can be found at http://thefunstons.com/I encourage you to check it out!